BIONICLE: Hand
by Sanokal
Summary: The story of the Order of Mata Nui's predecessors, the Hand of Artakha, and their battle against the Remnants, a group collecting items of power from the entire universe. The fight begins to turn when a new team of Toa are enlisted into the Hand after a failed attack on their village. Pretty much rips off the Covenant, as you'll see. Please Rate and Review! Mainly stars OC's.
1. Chapter 1

**BIONICLE: Tales of the Hand.**

**In the BIONICLE universe, the Order of Mata Nui, a secret society carrying out the darker work of the Great Spirit, are well known to us, and an important part of the BIONICLE story. What isn't as well known is that they had predecessors, an organization known as the Hand of Artakha. They only lasted for two centuries before being disbanded.**

**This is a chronicle of their exploits, and how they stopped one of the deadliest forces the universe has ever known. This is only a few hundred years after the Shattering of Spherus Magna, and the departure of the Great Spirit, Mata Nui.**

**This will include several original characters and species, but I'll also link some of these and some original observations to existing aspects of the BIONICLE storyline.**

**Let us begin.**

500 AS (After Shattering).

Toa Daikii dove behind a rock, dodging the blast of a Remnant Elite's elemental flare. "Nice place," he muttered, picking himself up off the ground. He readied his gravity axe and charged around the corner.

A Remnant Grunt, a mutated Matoran shrieked at the sight of the Toa of Gravity and fled, dropping its launcher.

Daikii ignored the little creature and charged at the Elite, which threw aside its flare and pulled out its sword, the twin blades held parallel to its arm. The blue armoured being lunged, but Daikii neatly stepped aside, and clubbed his foe with his unbreakable shield. The resulting impact knocked the Elite out.

Daikii sighed, sparing a breather, and looked around.

"Hey, Daikii!" yelled a female voice. "Get over here and give me a hand!"

The voice came from a Toa of Lightning, Nikila, from the islands near Karzahni. She was locked in combat with a purple armoured Elite, straining to keep the larger creature from snapping her in two.

Daikii held out his hand, and concentrated, focusing on his elemental power. Nikila and the Elite rose off the ground, as gravity weakened beneath them. Daikii then used his mask power to extract Nikila before increasing the gravity of the Elite so as to smash it down on the ground, stunning him into unconsciousness.

Daikii felt his strength drop, noticeable due to his fatigue. He was in good fitness, as a Toa of Gravity was expected to be, but this was getting ridiculous. He hadn't seen the rest of his team since the start of the battle, and the Remnant forces just kept coming. The Grunts, mutated Matoran rumoured to have had their origins in the Nynrah Ghosts, were no real threat, they panicked and ran at the first sign of trouble. The Elites, however, were a different story. Their race, the Sanhlei, was equal to any Toa in terms of strength and often surpassed them. It was a miracle that the entire race hadn't joined up with the Remnant Alliance, as their leader, Kalmah, refused to bow to the leaders of the fighting force. Of course, due to a sense of duty for his people, he didn't aid the other side either.

Nikila heard a yell of pain, and snapped to attention, heading off between the buildings. Daikii followed her, weapons at the ready.

They turned the corner to see Kahlo, a Toa of Plasma, lying on the ground, barely conscious. A massive shadow was thrashing in the mist, tearing through buildings.

Nikila ran over to Kahlo, while Daikii kept his eyes on the massive shadow.

"Kahlo!" she cried. "What's happening? What is that – that thing doing?" she asked.

The battered Toa of Plasma groaned. "That thing is looking for the village's treasure," he said weakly. "The Remnant's know about it because some of their Grunts used to live here, before those rogue Nynrah got to work."

Daikii frowned. "Must be one special treasure," he muttered.

"It is," gasped Kahlo. "It's a lava gem – intact, and perfectly shaped." He groaned, reaching for his Hagah Plasma Cannon. "If they get hold of it, the Matoran will be devastated."

"You're not fit to fight," said Nikila sharply. "Wait here, while _we_ take that thing down."

She picked up her trident, and ran into the fog. The massive form was tearing down another building, systematically shredding it with the massive shield attached to its left arm. It was blue-armoured, with large spikes protruding out of its back, and twelve feet tall.

And Nikila didn't care. She raised her trident and sent a continuous blast of lightning through it, zapping the massive creature, which seemed to bellow in pain, though it made no actual sound. The creature turned, its face covered by a blue helmet, though it had no eye slits that Nikila could see. The massive being charged, only to find itself floating in midair.

Off to the side, Daikii struggled to keep the being floating. The creature was heavy, and he was exhausted, but he would kill the Toa by remaining helpless.

Nikila knew that she had to act quickly. She charged her trident up with electrical energy and dove towards the creature, as Daikii gasped and shut down the field.

The being hid the ground with a massive crash, and was shocked into unconsciousness by Nikila's trident.

Nikila sighed in relief, and realised that she could no longer hear any sounds of battle. She breathed out slowly – they had won! Six Toa had defeated a Remnant legion. She turned to Daikii, only to see him fall unconscious to the ground, due to a very hard impact to the back of his head. The cause, another colossal armoured being looked at Nikila in rage, and charged.

The last thing Nikila remembered was the impact of the massive being, and the sensation of being thrown through the air.

. 

The most astonishing thing happened to Toa Daikii. He woke up.

He groaned, pulling himself off the sleep couch he'd been placed on, and blinked a few times. He felt like he'd been torn into pieces and reassembled backwards, but that was the only real problem. That and his splitting headache.

"Not bad," remarked a black armoured being from the corner. He was taller than the average Toa, but not the largest that Daikii had seen.

"I don't remember the last time that I saw a pair of battle-weary Toa take down a Hunter," continued the being. As Daikii attempted to stand, the being pushed him down. "Sit. You're not ready to be back on your feet yet."

"Who are you?" asked Daikii. "Where am I?"

The being laughed. "My name is Hydraxon, and this is a Hand Base," he explained. "We were on our way to give you a hand, but despite your excellent defence, we were still too late," he added sadly.

'They got the lava gem, then?" asked Daikii.

Hydraxon nodded. "I'm afraid so," he said. "But the Matoran are all safe – they weren't too happy to see us, but they're safe." He stood up from his bench. "I'm going to check on the rest of your team. Who's in charge, anyway?" he asked.

Daikii shrugged. "We change the role every few weeks," he said. "We aren't the best set of Toa."

Hydraxon smiled. "That's where you're wrong. If a being admits his faults and is aware of them, then they might not be his faults after all."

He left the room, leaving Daikii to ponder the situation. He looked around the room, from what Hydraxon had told him, he was in a Hand of Artakha base, the group dedicated to protecting the Matoran. They were a rather undisciplined group, however – they would save your life, but destroy your island while they were at it.

But they were eager for new members. Toa, beings of great power, even the odd Matoran with a flair for heroics were allowed to join up. Daikii wondered if he and his team would be next on the list. The Hand had been in operation for just over a century, and had established themselves as a force for good.

Ignoring Hydraxon's advice, he walked to the door, and looked down the hallway. A pair of Skakdi, the vicious natives of Zakaz, was walking down the hallway. That in itself was surprising, as the Skakdi were known for being brutal and barbaric – and those were their nicer traits.

He followed the two down the hallway, and turned a corner to find a large training hall.

Beings of all shapes and sizes were sparring with each other. Two beings similar to Hydraxon were weaving a deadly dance with their wrist knives, while the pair of Skakdi joined up with another group, who were twirling spears that were over thirty feet in length. Daikii smiled at that – he had to show that to Purian.

"Who are you?" asked a gruff voice.

Daikii turned to see a red and silver armoured warrior about the size of a Toa sitting on a bench, resting.

"Toa Daikii, of the Northern fringes," said the Toa of Gravity.

The being smiled. "Ah, so you were the one that took down that Hunter then, weren't you?" he asked. "A pity for you that they always travel in pairs – and get quite irritated when the other goes down."

"I found out the hard way," muttered Daikii, rubbing the back of his head.

He took another look around the chamber. Like the organization, it was informal, and disorderly, but the was no bad vibes coming off the scene. Even the Skakdi weren't causing any trouble. The being saw Daikii having a gander, and tapped a sign on the wall.

Warning. If you are accidentally hit by someone else, don't complain. It happens on the battlefield, and it does happen here. Get used to it, and use it to your advantage.

Daikii smiled at that, though he knew it wasn't a joke.

"Anyway, shouldn't you be resting?" asked the being curiously. "A knock to the head from an enraged Hunter, you shouldn't even be awake after a week."

Daikii blanched. "I was asleep for a week?" he asked.

The being laughed at his shocked expression. "We thought you'd be sleeping for two weeks after a knock like that," he chortled. "But you seem to be made of stronger stuff."

Daikii shrugged. He wasn't a Toa of Iron, who had natural endurance, but he'd always been less susceptible to damage than his teammates. Obviously, it had saved him once again.

"I did tell you to remain in your room, you know," said an amused voice.

Daikii turned to see Hydraxon grinning at him.

"But, since you've entered our training room, there's only one way out," remarked the being. "You must train with someone!"

Daikii looked around in surprise, but Hydraxon was already shouting across the room.

"Shadow Stealer!" he yelled. "Get over here!"

Daikii was surprised at the name, and turned to see an ancient being with large muscles and long arms shuffling across the room. Thought small, Daikii could tell that he was a skilled fighter, and probably easily able to take Daikii down. He carried two double bladed swords and a stinger tail with two more blades, and sported horns out of his head.

"There are only two rules of combat here," he said. "No powers, and no killing or maiming."

Daikii unlimbered his gravity axe and his shield. 'Then we have an understanding," he replied.

Shadow Stealer smiled. Then he charged without warning, and Daikii barely managed to get out of the way. He counterattacked, but Shadow Stealer had ducked and swept his legs out from under him. Daikii landed hard, and struggled up, then slashed with his axe, and when that didn't work, charged, intending to club the being with his shield.

Shadow Stealer not only dodged the two attacks, but landed a solid blow, knocking the breath out of Daikii, then twisted around, and sent Daikii sprawling, disarmed. The Toa of Gravity had held onto his shield, but his axe had spun through the air and hit a nearby Toa of Water, much to her displeasure.

Shadow Stealer smiled. "That's it. I win."

"No," replied the Toa of Gravity. "You don't." He beckoned to Shadow Stealer, and planted his feet. Shadow Stealer charged, but Daikii moved with astonishing speed, and clocked him in the face with his shield, the slammed the edges down on Shadow Stealer's hands, making him lose his grip on his swords. Shadow Stealer responded by whipping his tail forward, and slamming it into Daikii's mask, but was thrown to the ground.

"Enough," said the red and silver armoured being. "He's done enough."

Shadow Stealer retrieved his weapons, and handed Daikii's axe to him. "Good work," he replied. "Now go and get some rest. Wouldn't want to fight a tired foe now, would I?"

He turned and headed out of the room.

Hydraxon laughed. "Now that's something that you don't see every day," he commented. "Now, Toa, how about you get back to your room, hmm?" he asked.

Daikii nodded, out of breath.

He headed back to his room and collapsed on the couch. _What a day_, he thought. _Remnants' and now the Hand._ He rubbed his armour. _This could be interesting._

.

In an island fortress, far in the southern chains sat a mighty fortress. It was a massive dome, and it bristled with defensive weaponry. Reptilian guards with long snouts patrolled the area, clutching laser harpoons and crossbows.

In the centre of the fortress, a yellow and black armoured Elite sat on the floor, feet placed together, meditating. Had most of his race seen this, they would have given him a few odd looks.

The Elite rose from his pose, and stretched. He was a magnificent specimen, seven feet tall, with long ankles and broad feet. His neck stretched out, and his head, with its four part lower jaws was a symbol of pride for his race. They were revered in the universe as one of the six ruling species, gifted with an appointed leader. Their leader was Kalmah, a being who consented to be armoured in the red of a lower class member.

Of course, that was not true for a Remnant Elite, a esteemed member of the alliance that had dedicated themselves to obtaining objects of great power and studying them. These people followed a different leader species, not one of the six higher class, but a wizened species, horned and long armed.

This Elite had seen many battles, and defeated many foes. All save for one. A foe that he'd met today armoured in grey and black.

He was looking forward to meeting that warrior again.

**Okay, yes, I have ripped off the Covenant so badly for this fic. I won't use the term Jackals, though – that's a bridge too far, but all the other nicknames, I'll use. **

**I had the Grunts as mutated Matoran, because of their short legs.**

**Daikii, and the rest of his team, with the exception of Nikila, are my creations. Daikii's shield is the same as the of the Dark Hunter Ravager. His gravity axe is the axes of Gali Nuva on one hand. Shadow Stealer was created by a fan for the Dark Hunters, and was canonically part of the hand. Kahlo's Hagah Plasma Cannon is a MOC weapon that was accepted into the canon. Hydraxon and the red and silver armoured being are both official models.**

**The warrior that the Elite dwells on is part of Daikii's team, which have the same elements as the Bohrok-Kal, with the exceptions of Vacuum, which will be replaced by a Toa of the Green. So, Sonics, the Green, and Magnetism are still to be named. I'm open to suggestions for this story. The full team will be revealed next chapter.**

**Hope you enjoyed this, please rate and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**BIONICLE: Hand.**

**As you might have noticed, the title has changed. I'll try and make future chapters longer than the last one, as that was just a warm up to get me comfortable with writing about the world of BIONICLE. The main Toa team will be introduced during this chapter, but feel free to put forward ideas for other Toa or Hand members.**

**So, here we go. Listen to a legend of the BIONICLE.**

"You know, you take us to the nicest places, Daikii," remarked Toa Purian. The Toa of Magnetism laughed at his own joke.

Daikii wasn't laughing. He was pondering the situation.

Ever since the Hand of Artakha had rescued them and brought them to their base, Daikii and his team had been on the mend. Kahlo's condition had meant that they were still waiting for the Toa of Plasma to recover, as he didn't have Daikii's mysterious gift for enduring damage. The long battle with the pair of Hunters had ended in his defeat.

Right now, the two Toa were watching a mock battle between Nikila, and the Toa of Water that Daikii's stray axe had hit during his first fight with Shadow Stealer. He'd been surprised to learn that she was Toa Helryx, the first Toa created in the entire universe. Now, she blocked a strike from Nikila's trident with her shield, and thrust back with her spiked mace, stunning Nikila. The Toa of Lightning stumbled backwards, and Helryx stowed her weapons.

"This fight is done," said Helryx.

Daikii frowned. One thing that he'd noticed was the arrogance of all the Hand members. Shadow Stealer had actually been polite for a Hand, but Helryx was downright rude. She could back up her point – being one of the strongest Toa in existence, but it still troubled Daikii that a Toa would treat her fellow brothers and sisters in such a manner.

Purian walked forward, and helped Nikila up. She had only just fully recovered from the Hunter battle, and wasn't up to her full prowess yet. As he walked back with Nikila, Daikii walked over to Helryx.

"Listen," he said. "I don't care about your agenda. You treat my friends with respect, or you'll answer to me."

Helryx gave him a cold smile. "And in turn, I don't care about your feelings. So get out of my face."

Before Daikii could retort a colder voice cut across his.

"He said, treat us with respect. If I have to earn it, then so be it. I'll fight you tomorrow."

The voice came from Dez, a Toa of Sonics that had linked up with Daikii and the other Toa before the Remnant attack. Dez kept to himself – as a Toa of Sonics, he was especially vulnerable to sound, with acute hearing, and thus a dislike of conversation.

Helryx smiled. "Fine," she said. "Don't be late."

As she walked away, Purian turned to Dez. "Are you crazy?" he asked. "No offense, but she'll slaughter you," said the normally cheerful Toa.

Dez just shrugged. "So be it. But I shall earn her respect by the end of tomorrow."

.

The word that Helryx was going to battle Dez spread through the base like wildfire. Daikii half expected whoever was in charge to shut the training centre down, but when they arrived the next day, the centre was open, and it was business as usual.

Helryx was fighting three Skakdi; all armed with the explosive 30 foot weapons called devastators. She dropped to the ground, causing one of the Skakdi to nearly impale the other. The third was taken down by a leg sweep, and Helryx smacked them soundly with her mace, knocking them out.

Purian turned to Dez. "You really think you can beat her?" he asked.

Dez shrugged, and pulled out his vibro blade, holding it in his favourite reverse grip style. "I think that I stand a very good chance of doing so," he replied. He walked over to Helryx. "Are you prepared?" he asked.

Helryx dropped into a crouch. "You should be asking yourself that," she replied.

Then, Helryx lunged, swinging her mace. Dez caught the blow on his sword, and then swept it back behind him, catching her shield and turning it aside. Then, he leapt from foot to foot, before diving straight for Helryx. She twisted aside quickly, and slapped at him with her mace, but Dez had kicked out and pushed off Helryx's legs, dodging the blow and knocking her off balance.

Helryx charged forward again, but Dez slipped out of the way, and struck back with the armoured pommel of his sword.

The two of them circled each other for a few minutes, neither showing any advantage. It was Dez who lost his patience, and lunged, sword extended.

Helryx turned it aside, and threw him to the ground, but Dez twisted to land on his hands, and then leapt up and slashed, driving Helryx back. She counterattacked, but Dez had jumped up, and over, landing behind her, and striking at the small of her back.

Pain shot through Helryx, and she collapsed to the ground.

Dez kept an eye on her, checking that she wasn't faking, but she struggled to her feet, ready to continue.

Suddenly, a squealing alarm went off. Caught off guard, Dez staggered, his sensitive hearing bombarded by the noise. Helryx seized her chance, and knocked the Toa of Sonics to the ground. The weakened Toa didn't even protest, covering his audio receptors in pain.

"Helryx!" bellowed Axonn, the silver and red armoured being that had greeted Daikii in the raining hall on the first day. "Save your rage for the Remnants! The base is under attack!" Seeing Dez sprawled on the ground, he added. "And someone shut that thing up!"

The alarm shut down, and Dez sighed. "Sometimes I wish that I had a Mask of Silence," he remarked. "No wonder our Matoran don't like the Hand."

"Save your wishes for after the fight," remarked Axonn, hefting his mighty protosteel axe, and heading for the door. "Prepare for battle."

Soon, Toa Nikila stood beside Axonn on the walls of the Hand base. Below, an army of Remnant forces, almost one thousand strong, was marching towards the gates. A driving rainstorm impaired their progress, but they were moving steadily for the base.

"Have they done this before?" asked Nikila. "Is this routine for you guys?"

Axonn shook his head. "It's not routine anywhere. The Remnants show up when they find any artefacts of the Great Beings that they deem advantageous to them." He tightened his grip on the rampart. "You should link up with the rest of your team."

As Nikila went down below, Axonn surveyed the Remnant forces. Most of them were Grunts, the poor mutations that they were, and Elites, but a few Hunter pairs stood out among the ranks, as did the knots of bird-like Chitotera, nicknamed "Spears," by the Hand. They were rumoured to have joined the Alliance to gain profit, a trait that the Skakdi among the Hand understood, but still loathed.

At the bottom of the wall, Nikila joined the Toa from her group that were fit for battle. With Dez newly injured, and Kahlo still out like a lightstone, there was only her, Daikii, hefting his gravity axe and shield, Purian, grasping his magna sword, a blade that was as large as he was, and Rahnkii, a Toa of the Green, with the ability to control plant life. He twirled his leaf blades, looking almost bored.

Nikila pulled out her trident, and gave it a few swings, checking that she hadn't been unnerved by the fight with Helryx.

"Need a hand?" asked a curiously accented voice.

The Toa turned to see two beings from the same species approaching. Both were colossal four armed giants carrying massive hand weapons. One remained silent, though he seemed to be in a constant rage, with large horns and a multi-bladed axe. The other, garbed in black and gold armour, looked more like a Toa, with a Kanohi mask, and no horns, carrying two massive larger swords, and two smaller ones that even a Toa could wield easily. His weapons were sheathed, and his larger pair of arms folded into spheres.

"Axonn sent us to supplement your downed team members," remarked the black armoured giant. "I'm Sahnok. This talkative one is Kryant," he said, nodded to his companion, who just nodded.

Daikii nodded. "Thanks," he said. "I think that we're going to need you."

Sahnok laughed. "Too right. We have merely three hundred at the most in the base. A thousand might be a bit of a problem."

"They're charging!" yelled the voice of Axonn from above.

.

Down below, the Elite commander bellowed a single command.

"Rend them asunder!" he bellowed, the rain bouncing off his yellow and black armour. As his forces bellowed in agreement, and started to run for the gates, the Elite unlimbered his sword and followed, leading his warriors for the most easily scaled walls.

A surge of Skakdi and other assorted beings poured out of the gates, and ran for the Remnant army.

The two forces met with a mighty crash of metal. The Grunts were either slain in an instant, or shot themselves in the feet with their plasma launchers and collapsed, pretending to be unconscious. Their tough hides would survive the trampling of the battle, but if a stray Hand member looked too closely, they could see the Grunts breathing in terror.

Of course, the Hand forces had other problems. The Spears were taking down Hand members left and right, picking off their foes with their laser harpoons. A knot of them went into panic after a Toa of Ice froze several in an artificial blizzard, but for the most part, they remained undaunted by the battle in front of them.

The Skakdi made straight for the Elites, clashing against their fibre swords with their assorted weapons, but the Elites were such skilled fighters, that many Skakdi met their ends at the hands of an Elites weapon, with only those wielding spears having any real success. The few that wielded devastators turned the tide of Elites back, sweeping the thirty foot weapons through their ranks.

Then, there was a yell of agony, and a Kerulen from Stelt, nicknamed a bruiser, fell at the hands of an enraged Hunter, whose mate he'd just slain. The massive blue armoured being crushed allies and foes alike, seeking revenge. Then, it seemed to wilt, and fell to the ground, the axe of Kryant buried in his back.

A cry of shock went up from the Remnant forces.

Then there was a yell of fury, and the main Toa force of the base thundered out, firing blast after blast of elemental energy. A massive tidal wave came out of nowhere, and flattened the remaining Spears, who fled as soon as they recovered. Any Grunts that were still standing had lost their nerve and did likewise. But the Hunters and Elites remained, slashing at the ranks of the hand.

At the gates, Axonn felled one Hunter with a single blow from his mighty axe. Its mate charged, only to fall victim to Hydraxon's wrist blades.

The Toa team of the Northern fringes joined the battle, and instantly realised how different this was from an ordinary fight. As soon as they felled one foe, another took its place.

Daikii slammed his shield into the face of one of the Elites, knocking the warrior unconscious, while Nikila electrified two that were aiming a mobile cannon of sorts at the gates. Shadow Stealer slipped out of an Elite's shadow, striking before it could fight back, and felling it. Purian swept his massive magna sword through the air, dispatching another two.

Then, Rahnkii fell with a cry of pain. The Elite he'd been fighting slashed in anticipation of a killing blow, but the Toa of the Green triggered his mask power to turn intangible, then caused vines to erupt from the ground and strangle the surprised Elite until it hit the floor, passed out.

Behind them, Sahnok crushed a Hunter with all four of his swords, then slammed the larger two weapons together to form an even more massive blade, and took down an Elite and a Grunt playing dead with a single swing.

Kryant bellowed in rage as he made a berserker charge through the ranks of the Elites, sending them flying.

Then, a cry of alarm went up as a band of Elites scaled the walls of the base, throwing the defenders over the ramparts and cutting down those that remained.

.

The Elite commander parried an attack from a Toa of Stone, and struck back, with the Toa's natural resistance to damage saving him from certain death, but still taking him out of the fight. The Elite smiled. These Toa were good fighters, but no match for an Elite Sanhlei warrior.

Behind him, he heard a deep growl of pain, and turned to see one of his warriors fall at the hands of a Toa of Water carrying a mace and a shield. The Toa grinned at him with surprising ferocity, and charged, swinging her mace.

The Elite caught the blow and turned it aside easily, and then struck out with his fist, catching the Toa off guard, and stunning her. He followed up with an upward swing from his sword, but the Toa blocked the blow with her shield and landed a glancing blow on the Elite's sword hand. He snarled, dropping his weapon and nursing his fingers, and Helryx saw her chance. She bashed him in the face with her shield, and was about to strike with her mace, when he rose up to his full height, grabbing her shield, and forcing her down with sheer strength. Helryx's muscles screamed in pain as she was driven to the floor, and she blacked out through sheer pressure.

The last thing she heard before darkness claimed her was the words of the Elite commander.

"You fought well, Toa."

The Elite tossed the shield aside, and retrieved his blade, then caught a glimpse of a familiar form running towards him. At last, it was the warrior that he'd been seeking – finally out of his hidey-hole.

Toa Dez stared at the Elite that stood over the fallen form of Helryx. The Elite watched him, grasping his sword.

Then, without warning, he sprang at the Toa of Sonics. Dez swept his vibro blade upwards, catching the blow between the blades, and the Elite smiled, wrenching the weapon from Dez's grasp. Dez gasped in pain and jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding a swing from the Elite. The Elite swung again, only to bet met with a devastating blast of sound. Dez retrieved his vibro blade while the Elite growled in discomfort, and fell to his knees.

Before he could react, Dez placed the tip of his blade against the Elite's throat. "It's over, Elite," he said. "Now climb back down that wall – or I could throw you off – and get out of here."

The Elite was about to snap back that he was a warrior, not a coward, but he could see that the battle wasn't going well down below. Of course, when most of your fighting force was made up of Grunts, even sheer numbers wouldn't have saved them from the wrath of the Hand members, and the few Elites that were still standing were on their last limbs.

Snarling, the Elite bellowed, a deep cry that signified a retreat. The Elites promptly stopped fighting, and walked away, ignoring the members of the Hand. After a few seconds, more began to retreat, extracting themselves from the ground and limping away.

Dez jerked his thumb at the rampart. "You too," he warned the Elite commander.

The Elite snarled. "We shall meet again," he warned, and climbed over the wall, vanishing from sight.

.

Hydraxon sighed and collapsed on his sleep couch. He was exhausted; the day had taken a heavy toll on him. But he knew that he still had tasks to carry out, and dragged himself to the door after a few minutes rest.

He limped down the corridor, where Toa Purian was waiting outside Kahlo's room. The Toa of Plasma was still unresponsive, having not moved a finger since he had fallen into a coma. Toa Dez, weary from his battle with the Elite commander, lay sprawled out on his own sleep couch, while Nikila attended to him. Rahnkii was causing healing plants to grow from the cracks in the floor, nursing the injuries that the Hunters had inflicted. Daikii along was unhurt, slumped against the wall. Out of all the Toa, he'd used his elemental powers the most during the battle, cancelling the gravity around a few Hunters and dropping them on a squad of Spears repetitively.

Hydraxon entered cautiously. "How are you holding up?" he asked.

"Been better," replied Daikii weakly.

Hydraxon beckoned him aside. "This is not the time, but the people upstairs took note of your team's prowess in battle today. I presume that you'll be staying until Kahlo is recovered?" he asked.

Daikii sighed. "I don't know. Kahlo was the one who made most of the decisions." He absentmindedly scratched his armour. "I guess so."

Hydraxon nodded in understanding. "The leaders of the Hand would like to make an offer," he explained. "We'd like you and your team to join the Hand of Artakha,' he said. Before Daikii could respond, Hydraxon got up. "Take some time to make your decision," he said. "I know it might seem like a lot, but you don't have to make your decision overnight."

With that, the black armoured being stalked out of the room.

.

At the Remnant base the Elite commander walked down the hallways, mulling the day's events over. _If the Hand possessed an artefact of such power, surely they would have used it during the battle_, he thought to himself. Then he shrugged as he reached his quarters. It didn't really matter, now that he had met the warrior again. _These Toa,_ he thought. _They could possibly match us in power._

Suddenly the voice of a Shadow echoed through the base. "Members of the Alliance rejoice," it said. "Our defeat today was not a defeat, but a victory for us." It paused dramatically, before continuing. "Today, our scouts happened upon an artefact of immense power, unlike nothing we have ever encountered. It will be the duty of our strongest warriors to claim this Artefact, and retrieve it for the good of the Alliance." The voice of the Shadow grew in volume. "For we shall burn the infidels until they are but glass! We shall rend asunder all that would break our bonds. Hear me now, brothers and sisters, we stand on the peak of our progress!"

**I made this all up as I wrote it, so excuse the disjointed style.**

**Yeah, I kinda nicked a bit of one of Truth's speeches. But still, it sounds cool.**

**And again, I'm out of things to say. I'm always open to suggestions, but make them quick!**


	3. Chapter 3

**BIONICLE: Hand.**

**Listen to a legend of the BIONICLE.**

**I know that I haven't updated in a while. But I won't quit. I will continue!**

**So, I realised that I missed out on some battle potential, which I'll add in. **

Toa Daikii was splayed out on the ground behind a rock, with plasma bolts zooming past his head, wondering how in the name of the Great Spirit he had ended up here . . .

_A few hours ago._

"_An outpost?" asked Daikii, squinting at the tablet._

_Hydraxon nodded. "Multiple Remnant battalions have been seen patrolling the area. Nothing seems to be there, aside from that outpost." He paused for a minute. "They've been harassed by the local Frostelus, but the Elites are simply treating it as practice – something that has the Frostelus disgruntled. We sent Sahnokal to make an offering to them, and he tells us that they're willing to accept our assistance."_

_Daikii nodded. "So, what do you want us to do?"_

_Hydraxon shifted uneasily. "Didn't you pick up on what I told you? _Sahnokal_ went. He's not our best negotiator, just our tidiest operative. There is dissent among the universe – directed at our Hand. We're simply too undisciplined to operate at the scale that we are. You Toa, on the other hand, are different."_

_Daikii frowned. Their first meeting with Remnant forces had practically destroyed a Matoran village. If that was what disciplined did, he could understand the dissent coming from the civilians of the universe._

"_We're sending you with a few Hand operatives to carry out an operation with the Frostelus," Hydraxon. "If you can figure out what the Remnants are doing there, then we can plan how to drive them out."_

_Now._

Daikii shifted his attention back to the battle. Two Grunts were standing on the shoulders of a Hunter, which batted away the eight-limbed Frostelus like toys. The Grunts took pot-shots at the Rahi, felling several.

Then, there was a blast of power, and Sahnok emerged from the icebergs, swinging all four of his swords. Two Grunts and an Elite fell to his blades before a Hunter slammed into Sahnok and sent the four-armed giant reeling. Sahnok was only just able to dodge a swing from the colossus that came close to taking his head off, his feet slipping and sliding on the slope.

Daikii raised his gravity axe and concentrated, blasting a beam of gravitational energy at the Hunter. The sheer power of the beam began to crush the creatures armour, distracting it long enough for Guude to catch up and smack it in the stomach with his stolen hammer.

Guude was a crimson and black armoured being just larger than a Toa – due to having previously been a Toa of Fire before participating in a Hand experiment that robbed him of his elemental powers, but enhanced his physical attributes and enabling him to communicate with Rahi by fusing his Mask of Translation into his system. Now, having felled the injured Hunter, he swung his hammer and almost shattered a trio of Grunts with the sheer force of the blow. This was all it took for many of the Grunts to start running around like headless Taku, only to fall prey to the Frostelus. The former Toa next took on an Elite, somehow sparring with the reptilian fighter for a few seconds before bashing its wrist, causing the being to drop its sword. Guude raised his weapon, only to be knocked back by the Elite, which had leapt up with the speed of a striking snake. Guude's hammer went flying, nearly taking out one of the Frostelus.

Before the Elite could finish Guude off, Daikii cancelled gravity beneath the two, causing them to float up in the air. Sahnok seized Guude's wrists and dragged him out of the vortex, while Daikii used his Mask of Telekinesis to dump the Elite into the ocean.

As Guude got to his feet, the Frostelus regrouped behind them, with one, a battle-scarred individual, spitting and hissing. Guude nodded weekly, and turned to Sahnok.

"The Spears are picking them off the moment they try to get close to those walls," he explained.

Sahnok cursed. "We've already been fighting for an hour," he muttered. "How long is this going to take!?" he bellowed.

Daikii looked at the giant as he began to glow, and Guude grabbed the Toa's arm. "You might want to step back," he warned Daikii, before barking that same advice to the Frostelus.

The Frostelus took cover behind a group of icebergs, and Sahnok let out a massive battle cry. Several of the dark parts of his armour turned white, and he slammed his two larger swords together into one massive blade. His eyes glowed yellow, and he charged at the walls.

The assembled Spears yelped as the four-armed giant deflected their projectiles, plasma bolts, cordak rockets, and energy beams. His smaller swords were dancing, deflecting the projectiles right back at the Spears, who dove for cover as several bolts nearly went through their heads. Then, he raised the massive blade that his larger pair of arms carried, and carved a massive gash in the wall.

In the courtyard, the assembled Grunts fled at the sight of Sahnok. The white sheen had faded, but Sahnok showed no signs of stopping until a pair of Hunters grabbed his arms. He grappled with them, but they weren't letting go.

With Sahnok apparently occupied, and the Remnant forces busy with the Frostelus, Daikii and Guude slipped into the outpost.

Behind them, the sounds of battle continued to echo, as they picked through the cramped hallways.

They had only taken two turns when they walked straight into a clutch of Grunts. They shrieked and fled, and Daikii hit them with blasts of power, dropping them to the ground, unconscious.

The next few corners were also filled with Grunts, which proved just as useful as their brethren had. The ones after that were avoided, multiple giant insect-like Rahi were hanging from the ceiling, and they looked rather nasty.

Daikii scanned the rooms, looked for any tablets that might divulge a clue, but there was only scattered training equipment. At one point he found a few squares of marble that were fitted with curious designs.

As they rounded the final corner, he heard Guude gasp. Daikii looked up to see what had the former Toa so shocked, and his own jaw dropped.

Dominating the centre of the circular room was a massive pillar of transparent blue rock. The floor beneath it was segmented, and a slight rim around it, as well as a layer of dirt near the bottom, showed that it had been excavated from the surrounding earth.

"Isn't it beautiful?" said a guttural voice.

Daikii turned to see a wizened figure of Shadow Stealer's species, though he lacked the double bladed swords carried by the Hand member. This figure had a blue hue rather than the ebon that Shadow Stealer was clad in, and sat on a chair with legs that were constantly in motion. He was flanked by two brutish looking beings clad in green and grey armour, each holding a bladed launcher.

"The sacred Artefact, an object made from pure Crystal," continued the figure, looking at the massive object in awe. "This legendary Artefact is said to be a seal to an untold power, and thus the key to the domination of the universe."

"All the more reason to prevent you from obtaining it," said Guude, readying his hammer.

The Shadow smiled. "Such crude talk," he taunted. He waved his hands, and the shadows at the edges of the room dispersed.

Dozens of the ape-like beings stood in the room now, each holding bladed launchers and various hand weapons.

Daikii looked at them in surprise. _These guys could give the Skakdi a run for their money_, he thought grimly.

"Of course, to a non-believer, the secret of the Crystal Artefacts is forbidden knowledge," said the Shadow. "Rejoice in death, knowing that you have failed."

**Dun-dun-dun! Yeah, I'll leave it there. Hmmm, I'm not used to writing so little. Next time I write so little, I'll write two or three little things and combine them. **

**But for now, here's a preview teaser!**

"_**What," asked Sahnokal. "Is that?" **_

_**The Shadow looked as shocked as the Hand operatives. "It is an abomination."**_

_**As the Frostelus fled in terror, a new voice rang out. **_

"_**It is new. It is meant to be. It is my creation. And it is very, very hungry."**_

**Kudos to whoever can guess who the speaker might be! If you only get the species or organization, that's alright too.**


	4. Chapter 4

**BIONICLE Hand**

**Gooooooooooood morning fanfiction! Hey, this is not a test, this is BIONICLE! Hand. **

**I'm sorry, I know that I haven't updated in ages, but I had exams, so sue me. Actually, please don't, I need money for Halo 4. And my studies. So I'm updating all of my stories twice – by that I mean adding two chapters for each, not just fixing errors.**

**I've decided to change to the name Sahnokal to Sahnok, because I think that it sounds cooler.**

**And for the BIONICLE fans, we finally get a smidgen of a story update! The identity!**

**Moving on…**

Toa Daikii decided quite quickly that he and Guude were very likely doomed.

They were surrounded by at least eighteen ape-like beings holding various bladed launchers, with the exception of a silver-armoured being brandishing a blade that was larger and heavier than he was.

Of course, that wasn't going to stop him from trying.

"Guude, you take the ones on the left," he whispered, "while I take the ugly one-"

Guude turned and backhanded the Toa of Gravity, knocking him into the ground viciously. "Quiet," snarled Guude.

"What was that for?" asked Daikii angrily, but Guude had already turned to the Shadow.

"Noble Shadow of Redemption," said the former Toa. "It pleases me to look upon your features."

Daikii was confused – was Guude trying to flatter his way out of the situation?

The Shadow smiled and replied. "Thank you for your kind words, Honorary Chieftain."

_Wait a minute,_ thought Daikii in horror.

"Rise up, and command your pack," said the Shadow.

Guude stood up, and walked over towards a pack of the brutish beings, who slapped him on the back in congratulations.

Daikii couldn't believe his eyes. "You're a traitor," he whispered.

Guude snorted. "No. I am part of the new order!" he roared. "The rule of the Barraki is falling – the Sanhlei of the Remnants have seen this, and joined the proper side! And so have I," he said proudly.

"Thank you," whispered a dark voice. "That's all I needed to hear."

Guude turned with blinding speed, but he was too late to stop Sahnok from cutting him down with his own massive blade, only able to prevent the blow from shattering him in two. The beings that made up his pack roared, and charged, but Sahnok used his smaller arms to grab two of them and slam them into the ground, and then leapt to the centre of the room, beside the Crystal pillar.

"How ya doin'?" asked the four-armed giant, glancing up at the pillar. "Hmm. Big. Daikii, you mind filling me in?"

Daikii shrugged, readying his weapons. "I'm as clueless as you are. How'd you take out those Hunters anyway?"

A massive roar echoed through the halls of the fortress. Sahnok grinned sheepishly, and looked away. "Run," he suggested. He turned for the door, dodging the spikes that the ape-like soldiers fired at him, and ploughed through the ones to slow or too stupid to get in the way.

Daikii followed quickly as the Shadow snarled at his soldiers. "Stop them! They cannot leave this place with knowledge of the Crystal artefacts!"

Daikii turned and concentrated, increasing the pull of gravity in the doorway. The beings rushed into it and were immediately pulled to the ground by their own increased weight.

_That'll buy us some time,_ he thought. _Hopefully it'll be enough._

He stopped worrying about the ape-like beings when he was rushed by a white armoured Elite swinging its sword. Daikii parried the blow and struck back, but the Elite grabbed the handle of Daikii's gravity axe and struck again. Daikii barely blocked the blow with his shield, and the Elite swept Daikii's feet out from under him. The warrior drove his blade down in triumph –

And his arm was intercepted by Sahnok's clawed hand, yanking the blade aside and burying it in the wall. Sahnok smashed the Elite in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"That should keep him out of action," muttered Sahnok.

The two of them ran, bowling over a few stray Grunts. The mutated Matoran picked themselves up and ran screaming.

They rounded the corner, and burst into the courtyard, leaping over the body of a blue-armoured Elite.

The Frostelus saw them coming and chittered angrily, as they realised the fortress was still standing. Their tones changed to terror as a wave of the brutish beings poured out, shouting and roaring as they clashed with the Rahi. They tore at the Frostelus using the blades of their launchers, and massive hammers to tear at the Frostelus. The silver armoured being and Guude were nowhere to be seen, but the Shadow floated out of the courtyard, fury on his face.

"Destroy them!" he snarled.

The Frostelus tried to resist, they really did, returning fire with their dual Rhotuka launchers that each one possessed. But the Remnants just kept coming. As two of the Frostelus bowled one over, another Remnant used its massive launcher to blow a foot wide hole on the ice and knock the Frostelus into the sea. Three Frostelus charged at the offender, only to be silenced by a red-and black armoured being hefting a bladed hammer. That being was promptly taken down by Sahnok, who hefted his blade and threw it at the being, flattening it.

Daikii used his mask power to fling Remnant after Remnant into the sea, but the falls didn't kill them, and they simply climbed back up the cliff and waded back into the fight.

Another white-armoured Elite charged at Daikii, but the Toa was ready this time, and cancelled the gravity beneath the Elite, causing the surprised warrior to float up in the air, before Daikii then increased the gravity tenfold, knocking the warrior unconscious. Then he slammed his shield into a turquoise armoured ape-like being, and struck it down with his gravity axe. The next victim to fall before him was a green armoured Grunt, who dropped his launcher at Daikii's feet.

The Toa of Gravity picked it up, and blasted another Elite, taking the Remnant out of the fight.

. .

At the peak of the fortress, the Shadow emerged from a shadow, startling the golden armoured Elite commander. "Why does this fight still continue?" he asked, his voice a baited trap.

The commander snarled. "Noble Shadow, surely you understand that a Toa is no easy foe to take on, especially with the powers they wield!" The Toa of Sonics that the commander loathed wasn't there, but there was a Toa present nonetheless, and that automatically made the Remnants fight far harder. "If I had more of my own troops," he started to say, but the Shadow gestured, and the Elite dropped to the ground, choking.

"Do you question the loyalty of the Brutes?" asked the Shadow.

"No!" snarled the commander. "I question their capabilities! Our races were each given our combat nicknames for a reason!"

"Even if there are not enough Elites, you should have taken that Toa out of the fight by now," replied the Shadow.

"The giant is the bigger problem," said the commander. "We have no more Hunters left!"

The Shadow was about to chastise the commander when a dark presence clouded his mind. "What is that?" he whispered.

. .

Sahnok was completely unaware of the discussions regarding his continuing existence. He was too busy dismantling the Brutes that were _still_ charging him. He didn't like to admit that their strength was a challenge, especially in such numbers, but it was really becoming a deadly problem.

He clubbed a golden armoured Brute, and turned to see a red and black armoured Brute charging, holding a massive hammer.

_Oh great_, he thought, turning to face the Brute.

Then the Brute vanished. A spray of water drenched Sahnok's face, and he heard the howl of the Brute as it plunged off the cliff.

Another Brute was attacked, but this time Sahnok saw the attacker, a maroon and blue armoured Rahi, with wing-like fins, long clawed arms, and a finned head with nasty sharp teeth. Another of the ferocious marine Rahi leapt out of the sea and bowled over an Elite, the downed warrior desperately fighting off the creature.

Daikii ran over. "You alright?" he asked.

Sahnok nodded. "I'm fine," he said. He looked at one of the Rahi, currently occupyed in a scuffle with four Grunts. "What?" asked Sahnok. "Is that?"

The Shadow looked as shocked as the Hand operatives. "It is an abomination."

As the Frostelus fled in terror, a new voice rang out.

"It is new. It is meant to be. It is my creation. And it is very, very hungry."

The voice belonged to a black and white armoured being hovering in midair. His mask appeared foul, with two fangs hanging of the bottom, and he spoke with an arrogant, pompous manner. "Meet the Takea Drake," he said. "Give a Takea wings, arms and legs, all with sharp claws, and see what happens. It is moments like this that make being a Makuta worthwhile." He paused for a moment, watching the Drakes scythe through the Remnants and thoroughly rout their numbers.

The Shadow and the commander blanched. If the Brotherhood of Makuta had learned of the location of the fortress, there was nothing they could do. The commander barked a command. "Get to the boats!" he roared.

The Remnants obeyed, and the Makuta watched them go, a bored look on his face. "A pity I'm not allowed to dump the fleet into the ocean," he remarked. He looked down at Sahnok and Daikii.

"Ah, there you are," remarked the Makuta. He extended a hand, and suddenly, they were somewhere else.

. .

Sahnok had to restrain himself from charging the Makuta. "Where are we?" asked Sahnok, before realising that they were, in fact, at their base. "Shut up," he muttered.

The Makuta laughed. "Oh dear, another one of those all mighty types, are you?" he asked.

Had anyone touched Sahnok's mask, they would have burned their hands.

The Makuta smiled. "Your report is due, I believe," he said, walking into the chambers of the Hand's leaders.

Three figures sat of large chairs. Two were Hand leaders, a green armoured being of Axxon's species, and a blue armoured being of the ruling species that one of the Barraki was part of, though not the same as the scarlet armoured Sanhlei Elite that sat in the third chair. This was Kalmah, Barraki of the Sanhlei, and leader of what remained of his people.

The blue armoured being nodded at the Makuta. "Thank you Makuta Kojol," he said.

"My pleasure," said Kojol pompously, before teleporting away.

The green armoured being looked at Sahnok. "Did Guude fall in battle?" he asked.

"Most likely," remarked Sahnok. "I had an excellent view of it when I nearly broke him in half."

The Hand leader frowned. "Explain yourself," he warned.

"Guude was a traitor," explained Daikii.

"That is most disturbing," said the Hand leader, troubled.

"It definitely wasn't as disturbing as that giant Crystal pillar though," added Sahnok.

At this, Kalmah leaned forward, intrigued. "I have heard tell of my people mention this Crystal pillar," he said emotionlessly. "Only from those who defected, but that seems to be important to them, perhaps to all of the Remnants."

"I too have heard about these pillars," agreed the second Hand leader. "They are objects of great power, in Remnant lore. I believe – what did that captive say? Ah yes, they claimed that the Crystal Pillars were keys to the control of the universe."

"We have control of the base now," said the first Hand leader. "With Guude turned traitor, we'll need another translator to let us base in the Frostelus' territory." He turned to Daikii. "I don't believe that your team has a Toa with a Mask of Translation, do they?" he asked.

Daikii shook his head. "No, we don't."

"A pity," said Kalmah shortly, rising from his chair. He looked at the Hand leaders. "Make sure you keep control of that Crystal Pillar," he warned. He walked out of the room, heading for the ship that had brought him there.

**And I've run out of things to say. Goodbye!**

**Oh yes. **

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**BIONICLE: Hand**

**I was reading through my old BIONICLE books recently, trying to figure where certain events and certain species come into the story, and wondering how many I could fit into this fic. I've now hit upon a rather humorous idea that allows me to work with some of my favourite BIONICLE characters. This one, I promise, won't be majorly interconnected to the main story that much, unlike what I said for chapter 3.**

**Let us listen to a one-shot chapter of the BIONICLE.**

Toa Helryx snapped out of her sleep as a message blared its way over the Hand of Artahka base's alarm system.

"_Toa Helryx, we request that you make your way to the central chamber,"_ intoned the voices of the Hand leaders.

Helryx knew that the word "request" was simply a polite term for "order," so she rose from her sleep couch and walked out into the hallway of the Hand barracks, making her way through the assorted Toa, Skakdi, and other assorted species that made up the Hand's members.

After about ten minutes of navigating the cramped corridors of the base, the Toa of Water reached the central chamber, guarded by two "bruisers" in blue and white armour.

While one of them announced Helryx's arrival, the other eyed Helryx to determine the level of danger that she presented. Helryx, on the other hand, was quite confident that she could take them both on and finish the job within minutes.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the return of the first bruiser.

"The Leaders will see you now, Toa," he said.

Helryx nodded, and walked through the door.

As usual, the two Leaders of the Hand of Artahka sat on their thrones, but there were a few other beings in the room as well.

One was a black and white armoured being wearing a sinister Kanohi Shelek. The other three were all of the same species, tall and wiry, with two-toed, finned feet, and thick forearms. All three wore visors and had tanks attached to the backs of their heads. The central emerald-armoured one looked imposing, but nervously scraped his fingers together.

The blue armoured Hand Leader leaned forward. "Toa Helryx, we have a mission for you, as you may have already guessed."

"Is it the Remnants again?" asked Helryx, hoping to hear that another Crystal Pillar had been discovered.

"No," said the Leader. "They've been keeping unusually quiet ever since that incident with the first Crystal Pillar. We don't think that they'll be a problem for a while."

"However, there has been an uprising, on an island far to the south of the Voya Nui region," said the green armoured Hand Leader. "The island is mainly populated by Matoran, but there is also a small number of another species native to the island, and one of these is conquering the island. These species have held control over specific areas of the island, as there are so few of them that they can rule small areas of the island. This has been fine with the Matoran, up until one of them, who seems to go out of his way to pull of impossible victories, decided to conquer the entire island. He's subjugated half of the other territories and almost killed another of his species. The Matoran have described him as a magician."

"And we care about this because?" asked Helryx flippantly.

"We care about this because it is our duty to help those in trouble," stormed the first Hand leader quietly. "But, if you so desire a military reason for assisting them, the island is rather strategic. You will watch you words Toa, the position of being the first of your kind _does not_ give you any more rights than any other member. Remember that."

"Putting aside your feelings," warned the other Hand leader. "We have chosen you for this assignment because you are a powerful Toa of Water, and we plan to launch a marine assault on this rebellion." He gestured to the Shelek wearer. "Makuta Kojol and his Takea Drakes will be part of your force. However, the entire effort will be coordinated by the Oreatuna, and by their leader, Barraki Ehlek."

"A Barraki?" asked Helryx. She gestured towards the nervous looking Oreatuna, who was still tapping his fingers together. "Can he get this one to stop being a nervous wreck?"

Kojol tried to keep his smile hidden.

Helryx frowned. "What's so funny, Makuta?"

"A nervous wreck?" hissed the emerald armoured Oreatuna. Then he smiled. "She's rude, but she has force."

"That she does, Ehlek," sighed the Hand Leader.

Helryx jumped in surprise. "You're the Barraki?"

"I certainly hope so, or I've been living a lie for five centuries," said Ehlek. "As for the nerves, you try depending of a rebreather to survive on land. See if you don't have to protect your weakness."

. .

Two hours later, Helryx was hanging onto the back of a Takea Drake for dear life as the attack force swam through the sea. Both the Rahi and the Barraki and his troops could swim extremely quickly, and they made good time as they swam through the liquid protodermis.

Kojol had teleported the entire group offshore the island they were targeting, and had shape-shifted into a more aquatic form to lead the Takea Drakes, this form was more white than black, with a spine emerging from behind his head and extending past his face, massive clawed arms, and two large find on his thighs. His mask had become more toothed, but it was still recognisable as a Shelek.

Helryx squinted at the shores of the island, where a heated battle was taking place between the Matoran of the island. The side that appeared to be winning was led by an eight foot tall bronze armoured being, with twin claws on each hand. Though unarmed, he was easily tearing through the Matoran, and the stragglers were knocked down by his grim faced allies. He pointed his claws at a knot of Matoran, and chanted under his breath. The stunned Matoran lifted into the air, and the being tossed them into the lagoon.

Several Matoran broke and ran.

"The Conjurer!" they cried in terror.

They didn't get far; the 'Conjurer' simply waved his hand, chanted, and dumped them into the lagoon as well.

A brave Matoran leaped up behind the Conjurer and stabbed him in the neck with his knife, but the thin blade had no hope against the Conjurer's thick neck and armour, and he angrily slammed the Matoran into the ground so hard that the villager nearly snapped into pieces.

_That_ set Helryx off, and she began to gather the waters behind her.

Sensing the change in currents, Ehlek gave the order.

"Attack!" he called. The warriors of the Oreatuna took off, heading for the estuary of the spit. Helryx joined them, leaping from the back of the Takea Drake and surfing the currents on her shield.

Kojol snarled, and the Drakes charged through the water, leaping over the spit and tackling the Conjurer's Matoran. The bewildered Matoran fought back, but between them and the ferocious Rahi, it was no contest. The Takea Drakes didn't kill the Matoran, but they made sure that they wouldn't be getting up again anytime soon.

The Conjurer appeared bewildered, and fired a Rhotuka spinner from his gauntlet, catching one of the Rahi in the chest. The Drake gasped, and dragged itself back into the water, while the Conjurer charged with the same speed that the Rahi had done so with, and tackled two other Drakes and flung them several bio back into the sea.

Kojol charged, slamming into the beings midsection. The Conjurer ripped the Makuta off and choked him into unconsciousness with his telekinetic powers, green mist spreading around the Makuta's head.

With Kojol down, the Drakes lost organization, and several times the Oreatuna had to dodge charges from the Rahi. For their part, they circled the spit and leapt across it in hit-and-run tactics.

The Conjurer's Matoran broke and ran.

Helryx focused on the Conjurer, firing a stream of water at the self-proclaimed magician from her marine mace. The bronze armoured being ducked aside and gestured. The next thing she knew, Helryx was flying through the air, back into the sea. She caught herself on the currents and rocketed back into the air.

Then a cry went up as a massive herd of Kane-Ra trampled down the spit. Matoran attempted to scurry out of the way as the panicked Rahi, herded by the Conjurer's Matoran, stampeded, and trampling Matoran from both sides and Takea Drakes alike.

The Conjurer lifted himself into the air, and laughed at the destruction – and an emerald armoured form tackled him and pinned him to the ground. The Conjurer twisted and threw Ehlek off him, but the Barraki landed in a crouch and got back to his feet, clutching his punching daggers tightly.

The Conjurer gestured – and Ehlek leapt aside, rendering whatever telekinetic assault the Conjurer was unleashing useless.

The force missed the Barraki and caught the Kane-Ra, sweeping the front of the herd aside and into the lagoon. The Rahi panicked, swimming away from the battle, but treading on each other, and forcing the heads of many a Kane-Ra under the surface.

The Conjurer's Matoran marched back into battle, and fired wooden disks at the Takea Drakes. The disks didn't inflict lethal injuries, but they stung badly and the Rahi were soon buckling under the pressure.

Helryx blocked a disk with her shield, and launched a kick, booting one Matoran away. Another group, Fa-Matoran this time, each wielding twin blades as large as they were, charged, though they lost cohesion when an Oreatuna dived out of the lagoon and took out the trio leading the group of Matoran.

Ehlek continued to clash with the Conjurer. The 'magician hadn't landed a single hit on the Barraki owing to the Oreatuna's speed and agility, but the Conjurer's powers prevented Ehlek from dealing any serious damage.

The Barraki of the oceans twisted away from another of the Conjurer's strikes, took out a Fa-Matoran that got too close and thrusted, landing what should have been a lethal strike. The Conjurer not only survived, he struck but with enough force that Ehlek actually stumbled backwards from the impact.

Before they could resume their clash, Helryx decided that she'd had enough of this, and unleashed a massive tidal wave upon the Conjurer's Matoran, maintaining it long enough to choke them into unconsciousness, before recalling it and focusing it.

The Conjurer saw what she was doing, and tried to stop her from collecting the wave, but Ehlek grabbed him and held him fast, catching him in a choke-hold. The Conjurer squinted, and twisted free with his powers, but it was too late by then.

Helryx released the wave as a continuous column of liquid protodermis hitting Conjurer in the chest and blasting him into the cliff of the headland of the bay. Helryx kept the blast up until all the protodermis that she'd collected was unleashed, before slumping wearily.

The Conjurer was embedded in the cliff, groaning in pain.

Of all the forces that could have defeated him – fire, stone, earth, lightning, he had been trumped by the lifeblood of the universe.

Lying embedded in the cliff, defeated by an army of aquatic beings, he suffered great embarrassment for several days, particularly from his own species. He developed a great hatred of water that never faded for as long as he lived, and he lived many a long day, though he never discussed that particular day with anyone, nor was anyone ever stupid enough to ask.

**Ahhhh. That felt good.**

**As you can see, I'll be including more of the Barraki in this story – but I still need to figure out how to make these things longer. I need to have a goal, rather than single battles all the time. I am getting better with that though. **

**The Conjurer is just that – he is "Conjurer," a future Dark Hunter. The Dark Hunter's concept hasn't even occurred to the Shadowed One or Ancient yet, they simply live on their island of shadows and ice at the time this fic takes place. It was stated that Conjurer has "an intense hatred of water, the reason for which has not been discovered." I depicted this event as the genesis for this hatred.**

**C'mon, please review. You know you want to.**


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